restic (and Borg) with a web dashboard? When to use each, and when to use Arkame
restic and Borg are free, open source, encrypt on the client and work without an account anywhere.
Arkame is the restic model (backups in your bucket) with a dashboard, scheduling, GFS retention, alerts and restore in the browser.
In exchange, Arkame does not encrypt on the client and the agent does not work without the panel. If that matters, stay with restic.
Side by side
| Fact | Arkame | restic | Borg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | US$ 5 per server per month (R$ 25 in Brazil).source: arkame.app/termos | Free.source: restic.net | Free.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io |
| License | Open source agent (Apache 2.0). The panel is a service.source: github.com | Open source.source: restic.net | BSD 3-clause.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io |
| Works without a service account | No. The agent needs the Arkame panel.source: github.com | Yes.source: restic.net | Yes.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io |
| Client-side encryption | No. Files sit in the bucket as they are on disk.source: github.com | Yes, in every part of the process.source: restic.net | Optional, with authenticated encryption.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io |
| Format in storage | Readable files, opened by any S3 tool. Incremental per file, with SHA-256.source: arkame.app/docs | Its own encrypted repository; read with restic.source: restic.net | Deduplicated repository with optional compression; read with Borg.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io |
| Destinations | S3-compatible buckets: AWS S3, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, Google Cloud Storage, OCI, MinIO and others.source: arkame.app/docs/armazenamento | Amazon S3 and compatibles (MinIO, Wasabi and others); B2 through its S3 API; and other backends.source: restic.readthedocs.io | Borg 1.x: local disk or a server over SSH. S3 and B2 only in Borg 2, still in beta.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io |
| Operating systems | Linux (Docker or native), Windows and macOS; amd64 and arm64.source: github.com | Linux, BSD, Mac and Windows.source: restic.net | — |
| Scheduling, retention and alerts | In the panel: per-plan schedule, GFS retention, email alerts.source: arkame.app/docs | Up to you: cron or a systemd timer, scripts and monitoring. | Up to you: cron or a systemd timer, scripts and monitoring. |
| Many servers | One panel for all of them, with each one’s status.source: arkame.app/docs | One repository and one schedule per machine, managed by you. | One repository and one schedule per machine, managed by you. |
| Restore | In the browser: by search, by folder or on a timeline. Rehydrates anything in Glacier or Deep Archive on its own.source: arkame.app/docs | From the command line. | From the command line. |
| Ransomware protection in the bucket | Object Lock in Compliance mode, guided in the panel; the agent warns you if versioning or Object Lock is off.source: arkame.app/#faq | — | — |
Price
- Arkame
- US$ 5 per server per month (R$ 25 in Brazil).source: arkame.app/termos
- restic
- Free.source: restic.net
- Borg
- Free.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io
License
- Arkame
- Open source agent (Apache 2.0). The panel is a service.source: github.com
- restic
- Open source.source: restic.net
- Borg
- BSD 3-clause.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io
Works without a service account
- Arkame
- No. The agent needs the Arkame panel.source: github.com
- restic
- Yes.source: restic.net
Client-side encryption
- Arkame
- No. Files sit in the bucket as they are on disk.source: github.com
- restic
- Yes, in every part of the process.source: restic.net
- Borg
- Optional, with authenticated encryption.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io
Format in storage
- Arkame
- Readable files, opened by any S3 tool. Incremental per file, with SHA-256.source: arkame.app/docs
- restic
- Its own encrypted repository; read with restic.source: restic.net
- Borg
- Deduplicated repository with optional compression; read with Borg.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io
Destinations
- Arkame
- S3-compatible buckets: AWS S3, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, Google Cloud Storage, OCI, MinIO and others.source: arkame.app/docs/armazenamento
- restic
- Amazon S3 and compatibles (MinIO, Wasabi and others); B2 through its S3 API; and other backends.source: restic.readthedocs.io
- Borg
- Borg 1.x: local disk or a server over SSH. S3 and B2 only in Borg 2, still in beta.source: borgbackup.readthedocs.io
Operating systems
- Arkame
- Linux (Docker or native), Windows and macOS; amd64 and arm64.source: github.com
- restic
- Linux, BSD, Mac and Windows.source: restic.net
- Borg
- —
Scheduling, retention and alerts
- Arkame
- In the panel: per-plan schedule, GFS retention, email alerts.source: arkame.app/docs
- restic
- Up to you: cron or a systemd timer, scripts and monitoring.
- Borg
- Up to you: cron or a systemd timer, scripts and monitoring.
Many servers
- Arkame
- One panel for all of them, with each one’s status.source: arkame.app/docs
- restic
- One repository and one schedule per machine, managed by you.
- Borg
- One repository and one schedule per machine, managed by you.
Restore
- Arkame
- In the browser: by search, by folder or on a timeline. Rehydrates anything in Glacier or Deep Archive on its own.source: arkame.app/docs
- restic
- From the command line.
- Borg
- From the command line.
Ransomware protection in the bucket
- Arkame
- Object Lock in Compliance mode, guided in the panel; the agent warns you if versioning or Object Lock is off.source: arkame.app/#faq
- restic
- —
- Borg
- —
Sources checked on October 4, 2026. Other products’ prices in US dollars, as shown on their official pages. — : the checked source does not say. Scheduling, many servers and restore for restic and Borg describe what they are, command-line programs, not a specific page.
When to choose restic or Borg
For many technical people, restic or Borg is the right answer. Choose one of them if:
- You want client-side encryption: the bucket provider must not be able to read the files. Arkame does not encrypt on the client.
- You do not want to depend on a third-party service. The Arkame agent does not work without the panel; restic and Borg work on their own.
- Zero cost matters, and you already have cron, scripts and monitoring in place.
- You want block-level deduplication, which saves space when large files change a little. Arkame only skips files that did not change: a changed file is uploaded whole.
- You need consistent databases without a dump, or volume snapshots. None of the three solves that alone; with restic and Borg you build whatever script you want around them.
When to choose Arkame
Arkame is for people who like the restic model but do not want to maintain what goes around it:
- You do not want to maintain cron jobs, retention scripts and alerts on every server.
- You look after several servers, or clients, and want to see all of them in one place.
- Whoever restores is not always you: they search for the file by name or pick a point on the timeline, in the browser.
- You want readable files in the bucket, opened by any S3 tool, without a program to read the repository.
- You want Object Lock and GFS retention set up with guidance, and a warning if someone turns versioning off.
How to try it without touching what works
There is nothing to migrate: the restic or Borg repository stays where it is, and both can run together.
Create a separate bucket for Arkame, with versioning and Object Lock. If you already use Backblaze B2 with restic, it can be in the same account. The storage guide has the steps.
Install the agent with the command the panel shows (Docker is the default on Linux).
Create a plan with the same folders as your script.
Run both tools side by side for a few weeks and test a restore with each.
Keep the old repository until its retention is no longer needed. Keep the password: without it, the repository does not open.
FAQ
Does Arkame use restic under the hood?
No. The agent is its own, open source (Apache 2.0), and writes each file as it is on disk, with no repository format.
Can I encrypt the files?
Not on the client: Arkame writes files as they are. If the bucket provider must not have access to the content, use restic or Borg.
What happens to my backups if Arkame goes down?
The agent stops backing up, because it depends on the panel. The files stay in your bucket, readable, and you download them straight from the provider with any S3 tool.
Does Borg write to S3?
Borg 1.x, the stable version, writes to local disk or to a server over SSH. S3 and B2 support is in Borg 2, still in beta.
Can I use Arkame just for the dashboard, with restic doing the backups?
No. The panel talks to the Arkame agent; it does not read restic or Borg repositories.
Try it on your server
14 days free, no card. Backups go to your bucket, with your keys.